The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Archtops

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 12-03-2016, 08:27 AM
CoolerKing's Avatar
CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
FKA matthewpartrick :)
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North Havana
Posts: 5,344
Default My Giacomel archtop is finally getting fixed

This guitar has a very cool sound, almost like a gypsy jazz flattop, and has the advantages of an electric with a 1 11/16 nut and super high fret access. It also fit the bill for me and killed three birds with one stone, being an archtop with a floating pickup and tone controls.

I bought this guitar from Gruhn about a year ago, and had a few things done to it right off the back. The luthier, Corrado Giacomel, lives in Italy and since sending the guitar back to him wasn't practical, he built me a new tailpiece and pickguard out of ebony, which I preferred over the walnut.

The tuners were also a problem, as he used his very cool mandolin headstock shape (he's much more known for his mandolins, maybe having made only ten or so guitars but probably at least a hundred mandolins.)

It originally had grovers on it, but they were very tight with weird angles, and for a while I had Steinberger tuners on it, similar to a firebird. My luthier friend here in Key West just finished putting Waverly banjo tuners on it and we're going to see how well they work holding acoustic jazz strings, which was a problem with the steinbergers.

Here's a cool article about Corrado from Fretboard Journal a few years ago:

https://www.fretboardjournal.com/fea...rado-giacomel/

Here's a link to the original Gruhn photos:

http://guitars.com/inventory/ar4243-...el-j-5-archtop

I'll have some updated photos soon but for now here are a few:





Thanks for looking!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-03-2016, 08:45 AM
Mandobart Mandobart is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Washington State
Posts: 5,422
Default

Man that's cool! For me it may be hard to adjust to the body shape ergonomically. Do you play seated or standing?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-03-2016, 09:52 AM
CoolerKing's Avatar
CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
FKA matthewpartrick :)
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North Havana
Posts: 5,344
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandobart View Post
Man that's cool! For me it may be hard to adjust to the body shape ergonomically. Do you play seated or standing?
It will slip right off my leg if I don't use a strap either sitting or standing. Kind of a bummer but I'll deal with this one issue for the other benefits.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-20-2016, 10:54 PM
sayheyjeff sayheyjeff is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 3,376
Default

What a beauty! My guitar teacher went to Italy to meet Giacometti a few years ago and came back with a mando that is just wonderful. Bet it's just a blast to play. Be interested to hear how you like it after you get to play it and know it a little better. Make you want to play things you haven't played on other guitars?

Jeff
__________________
Flammang RS35, Flammang el35, SC 000 12 Fret ss, SC H13, SC PJ, Rockbridge 00, Eastman 810ce, Recording King RPH 03, Martin LX (on loan), Martin 0018vs (given to Godson), Lowden F388c (traded), SC OM (traded), Martin OM28v (traded), Martin 00017s (sold), Bourgeois Martin Simpson Slope D 12 fret (sold), Larrivee Parlor (traded), Larrivee L05MT (sold), Gibson LG1 (sold), Seagull Folk (traded)
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-21-2016, 10:01 PM
drive-south drive-south is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 4,630
Default

Tim Obrien plays one of his instruments. I think it may be a mandicello. Very cool indeed and not like anything else out there.
__________________
"Vintage taste, reissue budget"
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-21-2016, 11:25 PM
drive-south drive-south is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 4,630
Default

My bad. Tim's Giacomel is a Bazooki.
__________________
"Vintage taste, reissue budget"
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-08-2017, 12:32 PM
jmat jmat is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Virginia
Posts: 891
Default

In the event the Banjo tuners don't work out...

http://www.rodgers-tuning-machines.c...es/Lacote.html
__________________
Multiple guitars including a 1979 Fender that needs a neck re-set
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Archtops

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=